monarchy

Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev sits on a special chair after becoming king of Nepal in 2001. The Narendra ShresthaAFP/Getty Images

A monarchy is a form of government that has a single person known as a monarch at its head. Monarchs use such titles as king, queen, emperor, or empress. Monarchies were once common throughout the world, but now they are rare.

Monarchs generally reign for life. Also, most monarchies are hereditary. This means that when the monarch dies, a son, daughter, or other relative becomes

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